In investing, we talk about 'tells'. Tells are the signs, both verbal and nonverbal, showing fear or confidence, indifference or maximal effort. The tells separate those locked in from those who need to come out. In a close game, leaving a disinterested player in for a few possessions or failing to bring in a high effort player can easily define success or failure.
Coach Wooden remarked, "Never confuse activity with achievement." Distinguish "engagement" from activity. There's even lethargy jargon - brotherly defense (covering a player as though he's your brother), false hustle, fool's gold. What separates them?
Defense begins with ball pressure. Are defenders "up" or playing "Dead man's defense," six feet under the ball handler? Do they have active and disciplined hands and move their feet?
Are they playing below the level of the ball and denying cuts? If they're on the help side, are they dropped into the lane or at 'the split'?
When they're defending the post are they battling for position and making the offensive player work for position and the ball. Are they "tiger" or "totem"?
What does a player look like in transition? Is she "buddy running" or is she in full sprint by three steps, beating her assignment, shaping up, anticipating penetration or open perimeter shots? Is she calling out coverages, stopping the ball, and actively protecting the basket?
When there are loose balls, is she first to the floor? Does she get tied up or force held balls? Is she contesting shots and blocking out? On the defense boards, does she block out with toughness or get pushed under? Does she contest shots without fouling or watch?
There are next generation tells, like heart rate monitoring used by Coach Calipari at Kentucky. Players exerting high effort will have higher heart rate as a percentage of maximal heart rate.
We know that we're watching. Players need more than "know that"; they need "know how" and understanding that we're watching "how much".
